Golden Tortoise Beetle
(Charidotella sexpunctata)

Found across North and Central America, the Golden Tortoise Beetle lives up to its name spectacularly — its transparent shell over a golden layer beneath gives it the appearance of a tiny, living piece of jewellery. The colour is not fixed however — it can shift to red or orange within minutes when the beetle is disturbed, a change caused by microscopic valves that alter the moisture level beneath the shell and change how light reflects through it. It is essentially a beetle that can change colour on demand!